Revealed Relationships (Revised and Reposted)
by ProLiferChelle
Summary: This partly AU story is set several years after Another World went off the air. It shares some details with "Lydia," but each story can be read separately. All characters not invented by me are the property of Procter and Gamble Productions. Anyone who chooses to review this is asked not to reveal who the old man in the nursing home is.
1. Chapter 1

Late one afternoon at the 23rd Precinct in Bay City, Illinois, Captain Joe Carlino had a surprise visitor, a man he had never met before.

"I can't wait to see the look on Paulina's face when I bring you home to dinner tonight," Joe said.

"Neither can I," said the man. "So much has happened since the last time I saw her."

"Well," said Joe, "you'll have time to catch up. You're staying in Bay City for awhile at least, aren't you?"

#####

Two hours later, Sofia was sitting on the front porch of the Carlino home when an obviously pregnant Paulina came out and said,

"Joe called a few minutes ago and told me he's bringing someone home to dinner."

"Oh? Who?" asked Sofia.

"He wouldn't tell me," Paulina answered. " He just said I'd be surprised."

"Here they are now," said Sofia.

"Hey, Blue Eyes," Joe said, with a big grin on his face, " look who's back in Bay City!"

Paulina let out a shriek. "Derek! It's so good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too," Derek said.

"This is my sister-in-law, Sofia," Paulina said.

"I'm glad to meet you," said Sofia.

"Likewise," Derek responded.

"Are Remy and Dante inside?" Joe asked

"No," said Paulina. "I let Remy take Dante to Foster Park, but they'll be back in time for supper."

"I have an idea," Joe said. "Why don't we turn off the oven, and eat at Carlino's tonight?" He turned to Derek. "You like Italian food, don't you?"

"I love it," Derek answered. "And I see that Paulina and I have some catching up to do. When is the new baby due?"

"In a few weeks," Paulina said.

####

Forty-five minutes later, Joe, Paulina, Sofia, Remy, Derek, and seven-year-old Dante were seated at a table at Carlino's, eating.

"This is the best Italian food I've ever tasted outside of Italy," Derek said.

"I didn't know you'd been to Italy," said Joe

"Yes," Derek said, "I've been to Rome and Florence."

Joe said, "Someday you've got to see Calabria."

"Paulina told me that's where your family came from," said Derek.

"Speaking of family," Paulina began. She looked at Joe, then looked at Derek, and then back at Joe again. Joe, understanding what Paulina meant, nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of family," Paulina continued, "we'd like you to do us a favor."

"Sure, if I can," said Derek.

"Well," Joe said, "Sofia and Remy are going to be the baby's godmothers, and we would be very pleased if you would agree to be his or her godfather."

Me?" said Derek, surprised. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really flattered, but let's face it, Joe. You and I don't really know each other that well yet."

"Look, Derek," Joe replied, "I realize that we just met today, but Paulina has always talked about you. In a way, you were Paulina's foster brother, and I know you

were the first person to ever look out for her. Because of that, I've always thought of you as family."

"Since you put it that way, I accept, and I thank you very much for the honor," Derek said.

####

Meanwhile, Grant Harrison, mayor of Bay City, was having a private meeting with Tito Banecek.

"Are you absolutely sure nobody saw or recognized you?" Grant asked.

"I'm positive,"Tito answered. "I've been careful to stay out of sight."

"Good," said Grant. "Let's keep it that way for now."

"I don't know," Tito said, "how much longer I _can _stay out of sight."

"You'll stay out of sight for as long as I tell you to," Grant told him.

"But it's been more than a month now," Tito complained. " I'm getting tired of this."

"Now isn't that just too bad? Let's get one thing straight, Tito," Grant said. "You will do exactly what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it, or you'll be  
back in prison so fast, it will make your head spin. Don't forget, you were in for attempted murder. Specifically, for my attempted murder. Now this," Grant said, showing him

a photograph, "is Sofia Carlino, Joe's sister. I want you to get to know her."

"But," Tito began.

"No buts," Grant said. "Get her to trust you. That is how you will renew your involvement with the family. And when you talk to Sofia for the first time, don't let on that you  
already know who she is."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Tito, wearing a hooded grey jacket to avoid recognition, walked past the library. He saw Sofia seated at a table reading a magazine, walked inside and approached her.

"Excuse me," he whispered, "but is anybody sitting here?"

"Just me," Sofia whispered back. She looked up, and her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. I know who you are, even with that hood on. You're Tito Banecek."

"You must have me mixed up with someone else."

"No, I don't," Sofia hissed. "Now, please sit someplace else. I have nothing to say to you."

"There's no need to be hostile," said Tito

"Hostile? After what you did to my family?"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know who you are."

"I'm Sofia Carlino."

"And is that supposed to mean something to me?" Tito asked, remembering that Grant had warned him to proceed with caution.

"Does the name Paulina Carlino mean anything to you?" Sofia asked sarcastically. "You remember. You pretended to be her long-lost son."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Tito.

Sofia stood up, saying through her teeth, "I don't even want to be in the same room with you."

She walked out of the library as quickly as she could.

###

Felicia was going over the receipts at Tops when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Fanny."

"Derek!" Felicia threw her arms around him. "When did you get here?"

"Yesterday," Derek answered, kissing her on the cheek.

"So what are your plans?" Felicia asked. "I was SO proud when you wrote and told me that you'd gotten your degree."

"I'm hoping to teach at Bay City University," Derek said.

"And where will you be staying?"

"For now, with the Carlino family. Paulina and Joe insisted that I stay in their guest room."

###

After his encounter with Sofia, Tito telephoned Grant.

"You're not supposed to call me," Grant reminded him. "You're supposed to wait for me to call you."

"We have a problem," Tito said. "I ran into Sofia at the library."

"And?" Grant said.

"She knew who I was."

"Well," Grant said, "this means we're going to have to change our strategy. You will meet Sofia again, and you will admit that she was right, that you are Tito Banecek," Grant said,

"and then you will convince her that you regret everything you did to her family, and you want her to help you to make amends."

"How do I do that?"

"You figure it out. I'm the man who got you out of prison, so you owe me. Never forget, you owe me."

"All right. So I pretend I've reformed," Tito agreed.

"And you get Sofia to trust you."

"And then what?" asked Tito

"And then, when the time is right," Grant said, "I'll drop the bombshell. The good citizens of Bay City are going to learn that Captain Joseph Carlino never was the saint

he pretends to be."


	3. Chapter 3

That evening, Joe, Paulina, Sofia, Remy, and Dante were seated around the supper table. Paulina had made a meatloaf, which looked and smelled delicious.

"I didn't tell you who I saw at the library today," Sofia said.

"Who?" Joe asked.

"Tito Banecek."

"No!" Remy exclaimed. "Don't tell me that low-life is back in Bay City!"

"I told him in no uncertain terms to keep away from me," Sofia said.

"Well," Joe said, "if _I _see him, I'll tell him in no uncertain terms that he'd better not mess with my family again."

The doorbell rang. Joe got up to answer, muttering about people who telephoned or rang the doorbell at mealtimes. He returned several minutes later, carrying a package.

"Who's that for?" Paulina asked.

"It's for me and Sofia."

"Both of us?"

"Yes, Bambina, both of us," Joe said. "It's from great-aunt Sofia."

"Mama's favorite aunt," said Sofia, "and my godmother."

"But why," Joe wondered, "would she send us a package out of the blue?"

"Maybe we should open it," Sofia suggested.

"We'll open it after supper," Joe agreed. "Now, let's eat!"

"I'm too curious to wait," Sofia said.

"Okay, Bambina," Joe gave in, "you can open it now."

"Thanks, Joey," Sofia said, opening the package to find an old diary and a sealed envelope.

###

"I think you should be the one to read the diary," Joe said to Sofia when supper was over, and everyone else was sitting on the porch.

"Maybe," Sofia answered," we should find out what's in the letter first."

"Good thinking, Bambina," Joe said. He opened the envelope, took out the letter, and read it out loud.

"Dear Joe and Sofia,

I was cleaning out my attic, and I found a diary your mother kept in 1957, when she was a teenager. I don't remember how thisdiary came into my possession, but it contains some information that I think you should have."

Love,

Great-Aunt Sofia."

"Well," Sofia said, "we might as well read Mama's diary and find out what this is all about."

Remy came inside and said, "I just want to say goodnight. Nick and I are going to a movie."

"Have a good time."

"Thanks, Dad."

After Remy had gone, Joe and Sofia, sitting side by side on the couch, began to read the diary their mother had kept as a girl.

###

In the theater, before the movie started, Remy whispered to Nick, "You won't believe who's back in Bay City."

"Who?" Nick asked.

"Tito Banecek"

"No!" said Nick. "That low-life is supposed to be in prison."

"Well, my Aunt Sofia saw him at the library. He SAID she was mistaken, but she knew him from his picture."

"He's lucky I didn't see him," Nick muttered.

"I think the movie is about to start," whispered Remy.

###

Joe and Sofia finished reading the diary.

"Poor Mama." Sofia's voice broke. "I can't... I can't believe she went through that."

Joe brushed his hand across his eyes. "And we never knew any of it."

"Well," Sofia asked, "now that we do know, what should we do?"

"I'm not sure yet, Bambina. This is something we're going to have to think about."

"Maybe," Sofia said, "there's only one right thing to do."

"I guess you're right," Joe agreed. "The question is, where do we start?"


	4. Chapter 4

Sofia, alone in her bedroom that night, re-read certain parts of her mother's diary.

"If Mama and Daddy knew that I was going with an older boy, they'd ground me for life. But he is so sweet, so handsome... I'm not writing his name just in case someone sees this diary."

Sofia skipped a few pages.

"I'm not sure if I can write about what happened tonight. I thought he was so nice, so caring.. but tonight he... no. I won't write it down, and I'm never going to tell anybody...what happened tonight. I'm just going to try to forget. If I CAN forget."

Sofia skipped a few pages.

"I don't know what to do now. I just found out I'm pregnant. I'm only fourteen, and I'm pregnant. Pregnant by a rapist. Now I'll HAVE to tell Mama and Daddy everything."

Sofia turned the page.

"Mama and Daddy have been so good about this. No lectures, no "We warned you." Just love and support. But Daddy did say that it's a good thing that...(I won't write the word Daddy used) doesn't live around here any more. (His family moved to Chicago a few weeks ago.)"

Sofia went on to the next page.

"Mama and I are going to stay with Aunt Sofia for awhile. Daddy arranged for me to be excused from school for a "family emergency." My lessons will be mailed to the house, and Daddy will forward them to me. As if school even mattered right now!"

Sofia paged through the diary again.

"It's over. My baby, my son, is gone. I pray to God that his adoptive parents will be good, kind, loving people.  
Aunt Sofia has been wonderful through all this. If I ever have a daughter, I will name her Sofia."

###

The next day, Derek and Felicia were having a conversation in Felicia's living room.

"As I grow older," Derek began, "I want more and more to know who I really am."

"You are Derek Dane, one of the sweetest guys I've ever known," Felicia said.

"That's just it, Fanny. I'm not Derek Dane. Not really. Oh, yes, my first name is Derek, but Dane is not my real last name, not the name of either one of my parents. I was named the way the foundlings in Oliver Twist were." He quoted:

"We name our foundlings in alphabetical order. The last was a S,-Swubble, I named him. This was a T,-Twist, I named _him_The next one comes will be Unwin, and the next Vilkins. I have got names ready made to the end of the alphabet, and all the way through it again, when we come to Z."

"Does it really matter so much to you?" Felicia asked. "I mean, if you found your parents, what would you do?"

"I don't know," Derek admitted. "Maybe nothing. Maybe, if they are alive, try to get in touch with them. But even if I never get to meet them, I'd like to know about the family I never knew. Do I have any siblings? Am I an uncle? Things like that."

"I understand," Felicia said, "and I'll do anything I can to help you."

####

Sofia was at CARLINO'S, helping Paulina in the kitchen.

"Joe told me about your mother's diary," Paulina said quietly.

"I think I'm glad that you know," Sofia said. "It's just too bad Joey can't get his hands on that lowlife who..." Sofia could not finish her sentence.

Paulina nodded.

"But don't forget," she told Sofia, "that he must be an old man by now, if he is still alive."

"I hope he is dead." Sofia spoke with unusual vindictiveness. "I hope he is dead, and, God forgive me, I hope he is in Hell!"

####

Miles from Bay City, in the Wechsler Nursing Home, an old man sat in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth slowly, very slowly, and muttering, "God forgive me. God forgive me."


	5. Chapter 5

"It must be great for you," Sofia said to Paulina, as they worked together in the kitchen, "having your friend Derek here."

"Derek is more than a friend. He's practically my foster brother. We were in more than one lousy foster home together."

"Think he'll stay in Bay City?" Sofia asked.

"Well, that could depend on whether or not BCU hires him."

"How'd he get that scar on his face?"

"An evil man named Noah Grady did it," said Paulina.

"Grady?" Sofia repeated. "Wasn't Felicia Gallant's original name Fanny Grady?"

"Yes. He was her stepfather," Paulina said. "He's dead now."

Paulina did not think it was necessary to go into details.

Several hours later, at the Carlino home, Joe, Paulina, Sofia, Remy, Derek, and were finishing their supper with some chocolate mousse.

"I had some good news today," Derek said.

"You got the teaching position at BCU?" Paulina guessed.

"That's right," Derek answered. "I'll be putting together a course on literature in the Victorian era."

"Well," Joe said, "that's right up your alley."

"Children's books too, Uncle Derek?" Dante asked.

"I hadn't thought of that, but it's a great idea. Thanks, Dante."

####

The next day, Sofia was in the cereal aisle of the supermarket when Tito approached.

"So we meet again," he said.

"I told you before," Sofia said, "I've got nothing to say to you."

"Could we please just talk for a minute?" Tito asked.

"What part of "I've got nothing to say to you" don't you understand?" Sofia demanded.

"If you'd just listen for one minute," Tito almost pleaded.

"Give me one reason why I should."

"Because,", Tito said, "you are the only person who can help me."

"Why would I want to help you?" Sofia asked.

"Look," Tito said, "I want to make amends for what I did to your family."

"Give me one reason, just one reason, why I should believe you," said Sofia.

"Well, you see, I talked to a priest while I was in prison, and..."


	6. Chapter 6

"You talked to a priest, or a priest talked to you?" Sofia asked.

"Both," Tito answered. "We had a lot of good talks, and because of those talks, because of that priest,  
I'm not the same person I used to be."

"Oh?" Sofia's "Oh?" expressed not interest, but skepticism.

"I'm different now," Tito went on.

"So you say. But why," Sofia demanded, "should I be interested in this so-called new and improved Tito Banecek?"

"Because I was baptized in prison. I'm a Catholic now."

#####

"Guess who I saw at the supermarket," Sofia said at dinner that night.

"Tito?" Joe asked.

"That's right."

"This," Paulina said, "almost amounts to stalking."

"I'm not sure about the _almost,_" Derek remarked.

"I agree with you, Derek," said Joe, "and I'm going to put a stop to it."

"Wait," Sofia said.

"What do you mean, _wait_, Bambina?"

"I think Tito may be seeking to make amends," Sofia answered, describing the conversation she'd had with Tito.

####

Meanwhile, Grant and Tito were having a "business talk" over steaks and baked potatoes in a restaurant several miles away from Bay City  
where nobody knew either one of them.

"So," Grant said, "you did better this time?"

"I think so. I told Sofia that I met a priest while I was in prison."

"Ah, the religious angle."

"I figured," Tito said, "that it was my best shot with her."

"Just how religious does she think you are?" Grant wanted to know.

Tito replied, "She thinks I was baptized in prison."

"That may have been too much, too soon," said Grant.

"What do you mean?" Tito asked.

"I mean," Grant said, "now you are going to have to _act_ like a Catholic."


	7. Chapter 7

"Act like a Catholic?" Tito repeated.

"Yes," Grant said, "and that means, for one thing, that you'll have to start going to Mass on Sunday."

"Isn't there something else I could do? I've never been much of a church-goer."

Grant thought for a few minutes, and then said, "I think there's a way you can rectify your mistake."

"How?" Tito asked.

"Next time you see Sofia, you'll admit that you lied about having been baptized while in prison. You will then  
tell her that you are thinking about _becoming _a Catholic, and ask if she will help you."

####

Meanwhile, the old man in the Wechsler Nursing Home sat in his rocking chair, repeating, as he had so many times before,  
"God forgive me. God forgive me." And then: "If I could just... if I could only..."

"It was years ago," said an elderly woman with silver-grey hair, patting his hand gently. "You can't do anything about it now.  
Let it go. Just let it go."

"I can't. I can't let it go," he answered. "It haunts me every hour, waking or sleeping. If only," he said, "if only I could find my son."

#####

That Saturday, Tito went to Foster Park, and saw Sofia sitting on a bench, reading a magazine. He walked up to her.

"I've been looking for you."

"Why?" Sofia asked, annoyed.

"There's something I need to get off my chest."

"Then go talk to a priest."

Tito sat down, uninvited, and said, "I can't."

"Why can't you?" Sofia demanded.

"I just can't," Tito replied.

"There's nothing so bad that you can't talk to a priest about it," Sofia answered. "Didn't the priest tell you that in prison?"

"No," Tito said, hesitating just a little, "no, because I never talked to him."

"Are you telling me you lied about becoming a Catholic?"

"Yes," Tito admitted, looking down, "yes, I lied, but..."

A furious (to put it _very _mildly) Sofia stood up and glared at Tito.

"You used my religion, my faith, which is very important to me, to try to get close to me?!"

"Well, yes, but," Tito started to say.

"You," Sofia said with deep contempt, "are one of the lowest people I've ever met, if not the  
very lowest."

"But I just want..." Tito said.

"You want what? You want to say you're sorry? Well, I don't want to hear it."

"Can't you just listen to me?"

"No," Sofia said, getting up and starting to walk away. "Just leave me alone!"

"Oh, please," Tito called out desperately, "don't walk away, Aunt Sofia!"

He clapped his hands over his mouth.


	8. Chapter 8 (Ending slightly edited)

Sofia whirled around.

"What did you say?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Tito answered.

"It wasn't nothing," Sofia said. "You called me _Aunt Sofia_, and I want to know why."

"It just slipped out."

"Something like that doesn't just slip out," Sofia retorted.

"It did slip out," Tito insisted. "I meant for you to get to know me first."

"So you could pretend to be my nephew? I know you're not Paulina's son, remember?"

"This has nothing to do with your sister-in-law. By all rights, my last name should be Carlino!"

"Your name should be Carlino? No way."

"I have proof," said Tito.

"Like what?" Sofia wanted to know. "Fake DNA reports, like you used last time?"

"No," Tito answered. Someone found an old diary of my mother's."

"Who found it?"

"That doesn't matter," Tito answered quickly, "but the diary proves that my mother was involved with your brother."

"Involved? Are you trying to tell me..."

"Yes. They were lovers."

"Give me one good reason to believe you," Sofia challenged.

"I can show you the diary if you want proof," Tito said. "Just tell me where I should bring it, and when."

"Bring it here in three days at this time. I need a few days to prepare myself," Sofia said, "just on the off chance  
that you are actually telling the truth this time. But until then," she added fiercely, "you keep the Hell away from my family."


	9. Chapter 9

Three days later, Tito and Sofia were at the bench in Foster Park.

"Here's the diary," Tito whispered, handing her an old composition book marked LENORA MARTIN. PRIVATE.  
"I've bookmarked the important pages."

Sofia read the marked pages.

"Well?" Tito challenged.

"Okay," Sofia admitted, "I vaguely remember when Joe was involved with this girl, but are you sure she was your mother?"

Tito answered, "I'm positive. I had extensive research done."

"While you were in prison?" Sofia asked skeptically.

"I had contacts."

"Who were they?"

"Never mind who they were, Aunt Sofia."

"Don't call me that. This journal doesn't prove a thing."

"It proves that your brother fathered a child when he was sixteen."

"Maybe it does, " Sofia answered, "and maybe it doesn't. And how do I know this really  
is your mother's diary? No," she went on, "I'll need more proof than this."

"What kind of proof?"

"Meet me here tomorrow morning at eleven, and I'll tell you what kind of proof."

"All right."

"And don't say anything to anyone else until I check out your story."

####

At the same time, Nick and Remy were about to order lunch at The Jasmine Garden, Bay City's new Chinese restaurant.  
They had decided that Remy would order spareribs, and Nick would order orange chicken. Then, when their food  
came, Nick would trade half of his chicken for half of Remy's spareribs.

"When is Paulina due to give birth?" Nick asked.

"In about two or three weeks. Dante is really excited about becoming a big brother."

####

Meanwhile, Joe and Derek were having a conversation on the porch of the Carlino home.  
(It was Joe's day off.)

"Are you absolutely sure you want me to look into this?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Derek answered. "It's been nagging at me for too long."

"Okay, Derek. I'll do everything I can to help you find out who your parents were."


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay," Tito said to Sofia the next day at Foster Park, "I'm here like you told me to be."

"Good, because I've decided what kind of proof I need."

"What?"

"A DNA test."

"Fine. I'll get it done, and bring you the results."

"No," Sofia said firmly. "_I'll_ get it done. That way, I'll know the results are accurate."

"I wish you would trust me," Tito said.

"After the way you pretended to be Paulina's long-lost son? Now," Sofia instructed him, opening  
her purse and taking out an envelope, "you give me some of your hair, and make sure the root is there, and I'll get some of Joe's."

"Will he give it to you?"

"I'll get it from his comb or hairbrush. I don't want to say anything to him unless you really do turn out to be his son."

"Maybe you should prepare him," Tito suggested.

"I thought about doing that," Sofia admitted, "but then I decided not to. After all,"  
she added, "he has enough on his mind, being the police captain."

Sofia did not mention Paulina's pregnancy, or the fact that she and Joe were trying to find their long-lost  
brother. (Joe had written to their great-aunt Sofia, asking if she had any more information.)

"So," Tito said, "you're trying to protect your big brother."

Sofia answered, "Joey is always protecting other people. Maybe it's time someone protected him."

####

Meanwhile, at the Wechsler Nursing Home, the old man was once again, rocking and repeating, "God forgive me,"  
and, "Find my son."

The elderly woman, who came to see him every day said, as she had so many times, "Let it go."

She wondered if he even knew who she was.

And then, in a moment of clarity, he recognized her.

"Please. You have to help me find her. You're my _sister_."

"All right. I'll do what I can. But just remember, he may not want to have anything to  
do with you after what..."

She'd been about to say "After what you did to him."

She changed it to, "After what happened that night."


	11. Chapter 11

Several hours had gone by. Joe, Paulina, Sofia, Remy, Derek, and Dante were at the supper table.  
Joe had picked up spaghetti and meatballs from Carlino's on his way home from the 2-3.

"We're not the only ones having supper from the restaurant," Paulina remarked. "Carl stopped in and got some chicken cacciatore.  
He told me," she added, "that Rachel is hoping to have a showing of her sculptures at that new Tripodi Gallery in Chicago."

"If she does, we'll want to go," Joe remarked.

"It probably won't be for awhile," Paulina said.

"That's right," Derek agreed. "These shows have to be set up first."

"Publicity is also important," Sofia added.

"Will Rachel have any new works in her show, Mom?"

"Yes, Remy, I think she will."

"I like making things with clay," Dante said, "but I like drawing better. I like using lots of colors."

"Your Grandma Rose, God rest her soul, also loved to draw," Joe told him.

Paulina said, "Meanwhile, this food is getting cold."

####

Meanwhile, at the Wechsler Nursing Home, the old man's sister, sitting at the table with him,  
was saying in a low voice, "Come on. You have to eat something."

He shook his head.

"It's meat loaf. You've always liked that."

"I can't eat. I keep thinking about my son... and... before."

"Before?"

"Before he was born. You know what I did to his mother."

"Yes, I know," she said softly, looking down at the green tablecloth with red, yellow, and white roses.  
"I know."

"I never told Mama and Papa. I never told our minister. I never told anyone but you."

"And I never told anyone," his sister said.

Nobody at the table paid any attention to them.

"God forgive me," the old man started to repeat again. "God forgive me. God forgive me."

"Please," his sister urged him, "stop doing this to yourself, Noah."


	12. Chapter 12

Sofia had to check Joe's comb and brush for several days, but at last she found several strands of hair with the  
roots attached.

The next day, she took those samples and Tito's to a hospital in Chicago. She couldn't risk having them tested in Bay  
City.

"We'll have the results in about a week," the lab technician, a woman in her mid-thirties, promised.

"Can you mail them to me?" Sofia requested. "I don't live in Chicago."

"Yes, I can have it mailed. Just give me your address."

"I have a self-addressed stamped envelope," Sofia said. "Can you please use that instead of one of the hospital's  
envelopes? I don't want anyone to know about this," she added, "until I find out whether or not it's a match."

The lab technician accepted the SASE.

Sofia thanked her and left, praying inwardly, "Please, God, don't let it be a match."

####

About a week later, Joe and Dante were sitting on the porch together. It was late in the afternoon.

"Dad, you know what happened today?

"What, Dante?"

"Well," Dante began, "Remy and I were at the park, and my friend Petey and his father walked past, and Petey looked up and said,  
"I love you, Dad. And you know what his father did?"

"What?" Joe asked.

"He shook his finger in front of Petey's face and said in a real mean voice (Dante made his own voice as deep and mean as he could)  
_MEN_ _don't say I love you to other MEN!_" Dante went on in his own voice, "That's not right, is it, Dad?"

"No, it isn't. I tell your Grandpa that I love him every time I talk to him."

"Maybe Petey's father doesn't love him," Dante said. "Aren't fathers _supposed_ to love their kids?"

"Of course they are," Joe answered, "and most of them do."

Meanwhile, Sofia was in her bedroom, with the door closed, standing near her bed and holding an envelope in her hand.

"Please don't let it be a match," she whispered. "Please, God, don't let it be a match."

She opened the envelope, pulled out a sheet of paper, and read the results, and then dropped onto the bed.

"Oh, dear God! How am I going to tell Joey?"


End file.
